Policeman&#39;s nippers.



PATENTED OCT. 2, 1906.

A. MERGER. POLIOEMANS NIPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5

THE NORRIS PETERS cm, wasuliyowlv, 04 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFONSO MERCER, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN F- EAST, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, AND ONE-HALF TO SOUTHERN NOVELTY AND AMUSEMENT COMPANY, INC,

GINIA.

A CORPORATION OF VIR- POLIC'EMAN S- NIPPERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentediOct'. 2, 1906.

Application filed August 5, 1905. Serial No. 272.922.

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in policemens nippers or manacles; and it has.

for its object the production of nippers which can be used to firmly grip the arm of a prisoner, the handles of the nippers being so arranged that increased pulling by such prisoner and the consequent tightening of the grip of the policeman will tend to increase the nipping force of the manacles upon the arm.

It is also a further object of the invention to provide the nippers with a releasing mechanism which shall lie adjacent to or within the hand of the policeman, so that it is entirely within his control and cannot be reached by the prisoner.

With these and other objects in view the 1nvent1on comprises certain novel construetions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair of policemens nippers constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the same, the gripping arms or jaws being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view through one of the handles of the nippers, showing a modified form of the releasing mechanism.

The nippers forming the subjectmatter of the present invention are so constructed that the gripping jaws thereof may be forced tightly against the arm of a prisoner and will remain in any position in whlch they are thus forced until they are purposely released by the policeman or other operator of the mechanism.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the body portion of the nippers; 2, a jaw rigidly secured thereto; 3, a handle fastened rigidly to the opposite end of said body portion from the said jaw, and 4 a movable jaw projecting from said body portion. The body portion 1 is made hollow, and the movable jaw Lproj ects through'an elongated slot or opening-5, formed in one side thereof, the said jaw being carried by a reciprocating rod or rack-bar 6. The rack-bar 6 is formed with rack-teeth 7 upon one edge, and the outer end. of said rack-bar projects beyondthe handle 3 a-suitable distance and-is providedwith a second handle 8, which is rigidly fastened. thereto.

In order to normally cause the separation of the jaws when the release device is operated, a spring 9is mountedin-the hollow body portion 1 and engages the endv ofthe rackbar 6, thus tending to force it outwardly,.so as to carry the inner gripping-jaw 4 away from the outer gripping-jaw 2. The said gripping-j aws extendlaterally from the body portion 1 of the nippers in approXimatelK parallel planes, so as to be capable of pressing upon the opposite flattened sides of a persons arm. This prevents the turning or twisting of the arm within the jaws when said jaws are tightly clamped.

In order to prevent the arm from being easily withdrawn from between-the jaws of the nippers, the outer ends are curved or slightly bent toward each other andare' provided With enlarged ends 10 and 11. The said enlarged ends 10 and 11 may also. be formed with annular projections or ribs 12 to still further prevent the withdrawal'of a prisoners arm from the gripping jaws- The gripping-jaws 2 and 4 are generally thickened as they approach the body portion of the nippers, so as to give them ample strength,.and the inner end of the jaw 2 is made to fill the end of the body portion 1 and offer anfabutting surface for the spring-9.

In order to hold the jaw 4. in proper relation to the jaw 2 against the action. of the spring 9 and also against the efforts of a prisoner to release himself from the grip of the nippers, a reciprocating locking plunger or latch 13 is employed and mounted withinthe handle 3, which is made hollow for that purpose. The inner end of the plunger or latch 13 is made with a flat surface 14, extending parallel with its line of movement, and abeveled end surface 15, capable of riding over the inclined ratchet-teeth 7 of the rack-bar 6 when the said rack-bar is forced inwardly through the action of gripping the handles. The end of the latch 13 is so arranged and opposed to the teeth 7 of the rack-bar 6 that when said latch is in engagement with any of the teeth 7 the rack-bar cannot be drawn or forced outwardly. The latch 13 is forced 16 and is provided with a recess or aperture ture 20, as at 22.

20. A release lever or dog 21 has one end. ex tending inwardly and engaging the said aper- The other end of the said lever extends along, the side of the handle 3 approximately parallel therewith, and a stud is secured to the handle 3.

or handle 23, formed on said lever, projects through an aperture 24 in an inclosing housing 25, which surrounds the lever and which The walls of the said housing 25 are preferably used for hold ing a fulcrum-pin 26 in place, the said lever 21 being pivoted upon said pin. By pressing the stud or projection 23 inwardly the latch 13 may be retracted against the action of the spring 16, and the rack-bar thus released is free to be forced outwardly by the spring 9 for separating the jaws. Although the housing 25 may be arranged upon any portion of the peripheral surface of said handle 3, it is preferably arranged upon that portion of the surface of said handle which faces the outer handle 8. When the two handles are gripped by the hand of the operator, the release mechanism, with its projecting stud, thus lies within the hand of the operator and cannot be reached by a prisoner for releasing the grip of the nippers. It can, however, be easily reached by the thumb or-finger of the policeman or other operator when it is desired to release the rack-bar and retract the aw 4.

The releasing latch mechanism may be made in other ways, though the one just described is the preferable one. As shown in Fig. 3, the handle 3 may be provided with a reciprocating latch 27, having a rack-engaging end 28 and provided with a stem 29, which projects through the end of the handle 3 and is provided with a head 31, by which it may be pulled outwardly. In this instance a spring 30 is interposed between the end of the head of the plunger or latch 27 and the inturned end portion of the handle 3. The en gagement 0f the latch 27 with the rack-bar 6 is like that described with respect to the latch 13, and the action of the respective parts are the same in each case. When, however, itis desired to retract the latch 27, it is necessary to grasp the head 31.

In the use of the device the releasing-lever is operated to permit of the separation of the jaws, so that the nippers may be readily placed upon the arm of the prisoner. By

grasping the handles 3 and 8 the jaws 2 and 4 may be forced toward each other for grippin the arm of the prisoner, and the latch 13 wild prevent any retraction of the arm 4, holding the same in each new advanced position. If the prisoner prove refractory, the pressure of the gripping-jaws upon his arm may be increased to any desired extent, the latch holding the same. The tighter the jaws are caused to grip the arm the less chance there is for the prisoner to turn or move his armin the nippers. When it is desired to release the arm of the prisoner, it is only necessary to press upon the stud 23 or pull upon the enlargement or head 31 to release the rack-bar, when the spring 9 will act and force the j aw 4 away from the jaw 2 It will be observed that the arms 2 and 4 preferably extend well to one side of the device with respect to the handles 3 and S, and this makes it possible for the operator to grip the arm of the prisoner from below, which is often found advantageous. There is no opportunity for the prisoner to release himself from the grip of the jaws as long as the policeman or other operator retains his hold upon the handles, for in every case the latch 13 must be retracted before thejaws can be separated.

All minor changes in the details of construction are of course considered as well within the meaning and scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A policemans nippers comprising reciprocating gripping-jaws, and handles connected with said jaws, the forcing of the handles together causing a movement of the jaws toward each other.

2. A policemans nippers comprising approximately parallel reciprocating jaws, a handle secured to each of said jaws and means carried by one of the handles for controlling the position of the jaws.

3. A policemans nippers comprising longitudinally-arranged reciprocating portions formed with gripping-jaws projecting at approximate right angles thereto, and handles secured to said reciprocating portions for forcing the jaws toward each other'when the handles are gripped.

4. A policemans nippers comprising a body portion, a movable member mounted therein, said body portion having a laterallyextending jaw, said movable member having a laterally-extending jaw, a handle secured to said body portion, a handle secured to the movable member, and means for locking the movable member at various stages of its movement with respect to the body portion.

5. A policemans nippers comprising cooperating jaws, telescoping stems carrying the same, one of said stems having a rack thereon, a latch for engaging said rack and holding the said stems with respect to each other, and handles for operating the stems.

6. A policemans nippers comprising gripping-jaws, a hollow stem carrying one of said jaws, an interiorlyarranged moving rod having a rack formed thereon mounted in said hollow stem and carrying the other jaw, a spring-actuated latch engaging said rack and handles for operating the rod.

7. A policemans nippers comprising telescoping inner and outer rods, the outer rod having an elongated slot in its walls, and a fixed jaw secured to the end thereof, the innor movable rod having a jaw secured thereto and projecting outwardly through said slot, and handles secured to said rods for operating them.

8. A policemans nippers comprising a hollow body portion having an elongated slot in its walls and a laterally-extending grippingj aw projecting to one side thereof, a rack-bar movably mounted in said body portion having a laterally-extending jaw secured thereto and projecting through said slot, aspringpressed latch engaging said rack-bar, and handles for moving the said rack-bar and body portion with respect to each other.

9. A policemans nippers comprising a hollow body portion havin a laterally-extending gripping-j aw secured thereto, a rack-bar movably mounted therein, and formed with a laterally-extending gripping-j aw, the outer end of said gripping-jaws being bent slightly toward each other and having annular enlargements at their ends for insuring the retention of a prisoners arm placed within the gripping-jaws, a latch for controlling the position of the rack-bar, and handles secured to the said body portion and the said rackbar for operating the gripping-jaws.

10. A policemans nippers comprising reciprocating, telescoping members formed with gripping-jaws projecting laterally therefrom, said jaws projecting from one side of said members, means for forcing the jaws apart, handles for forcing the jaws together, and means for holding the handles in their adjusted positions.

11. A policemans nippers comprising reciprocating jaw-carrying members, grippingjaws projecting therefrom, handles secured to said members, areciprocating latch mounted within one of said handles and engaging one of said members, and a releasing device for said latch.

12. A policemans nippers comprising reciprocating members, having gripping-jaws secured thereto, one of said reciprocating members having a rack formed thereon, handles for operating the said reciprocating members, one of said handles being made hollow, a locking-latch movably mounted in said hollow handle for engaging said rack, and means engaging said latch and projecting outside the said handle, said means being capable of retracting the latch and permitting the operation of the jaws.

13. A policemans nippers, comprising gripping-jaws, reciprocating members secured to said jaws, one of said members being provided with a rack, handles secured to the reciprocating members, a locking-latch mounted in one of said handles and engaging said rack, means for operating the latch arran ed between the handles so as to be cov ere by the hand of the policeman, or other user of the device, and a housing for covering a portion of said operating means.

14. A policemans nippers, comprising gripping-jaws, reciprocating members secured to said jaws, one of said members having a rack formed thereon, handles secured to the ends of said reciprocating members, a reciprocating latch carried by one of the handles and engaging said rack, operating means mounted upon one of said handles and engaging at one end the said latch while at the other end it projects so that it may be pressed for releasing the latch, and a housing mounted upon the handle and capable of covering all of said operating means except the operating end portion.

15. A policemans nippers, comprising gripping-jaws, a hollow member carrying one of said jaws, a rack-bar mounted in said hollow member and carrying the other jaw, a hollow handle secured to the said hollow member, a reciprocating latch mounted in said hollow handle and engaging the rack bar, the said latch having a stem provided with an aperture, a spring mounted in the hollow handle, and forcing the latch normally in engagement with the rackbar, a lever mounted upon the hollow handle and engaging the aperture of the latch, a housing inclosing said lever, an operating-stud carried by the lever and projecting through an aperture in said housing, anda handle carried by the rack-bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFONSO MERCER.

Witnesses:

RoB'r. R. BUNELL, J. F. EAST.

IIO 

